Sound quality differences in streamers

The so-called ’digital realm’ takes place on an analog carrier.

The link below is a worthwhile read. It is an enlightening discussion about 1’s & 0’s and square waves by AudiogoN veterans:

- Almarg (physicist & multiple patent holder, RIP) 

- Audioengr (Steve Nugent, former design-team lead at Intel Corp & holder of 22 patents)

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/square-waves-or-1-s-and-0-s

@steakster

Thank you for sharing the link. That old Audiogon thread veers into a ditch early on due to an argument over, I guess, the physical representation of a digital signal being transmitted over a wire? I honestly doubt it is likely to enlighten anyone, but I could be wrong.

I am also not sure why you chose to present Steve Nugent as an Intel employee, rather than as the founder of a high-end audio equipment company.

One may disagree with Steve, and I can’t say I don’t, but there is no denying the fact that he is a brilliant albeit idiosyncratic thinker whose ideas deserve broader standing in the audiophile world. His columns in the old Positive Feedback should be required reading for anyone interested in digital audio, especially those endeavoring to hold forth about it in forums such as this one.

It should be pointed out that Steve’s digital credentials are impeccable; this is the person who brought Pentium II to the world, not just a "team lead". 🤣

Unfortunately none of this transpires from your above post or from the thread you linked. I just thought it would be fair to do Steve Nugent some justice, especially for the benefit of those unfamiliar with his work.

The issue with the $329 WiiM Ultra is its internal clock is only "so-so" according to some reviewers.  So, if you use it to feed an external DAC, make sure you are doing so in such a way that the presumably better clock in the more expensive DAC is doing the "driving" otherwise you are leaving performance that you paid for on the table.  Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I think the "best" way to do this is via USB, not optical or coax. 

I know the Bluesound Nodes specifically have a "clock trim" function to turn on in software when feeding an external DAC. 

@devinplombier 

Thx for the laugh.   Your dismissiveness and bemusing discombobulations are reminiscent of William F. Buckley Jr. *   I’ll just ignore your passive-aggressive behavior.   I’ve dealt with worse arrogance in the corporate world and in academia – of which I suspect you’re a member.

The Intel reference was from Steve Nugent’s own bio.   Perhaps, you should contact him for not bragging more about designing the Pentium II.

- - -

* Not a compliment.

@devinplombier

That old Audiogon thread veers into a ditch early on due to an argument over, I guess, the physical representation of a digital signal being transmitted over a wire?

What a strange comment.

Apparently, you might not be aware that there is wire in ethernet cables and coax cables - as referenced to in the OP’s question.   

Apparently, you might not be aware ’that old Audigon thread’ has content that is still valid today. 

Apparently, you might not be aware of the difference between an argument and a discussion.